Disclosure: AD, this is a sponsored post, however all opinions are 100% my own.

Years ago I used to work from the New York office of my job a couple of times a year. One of my colleagues became a great friend and she would take me a around all the best places; some touristy and some local. It was such a fun time, New York City has so much to offer outside of the usual sight seeing. However, for your first trip you are going to want to do all the obvious things and quite rightly so!

If you can afford to, staying in Midtown is a great option and the best area to stay central to all the attractions. Midtown Manhattan is where you'll find Times Square, the Chrysler Building, Grand Central Terminal, the Flatiron Building, and the Empire State Building. So staying nearby covers a lot!

As first-time visitors, using the New York CityPass will save you money and offer entry to a variety of sights. The most popular attractions are included such as the Empire State Building, the American Museum of Natural History, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. You can also get entry into three additional Big Apple landmarks with a choice of the Top of the Rock Observation Deck, Solomon R, the Guggenheim Museum, ferry access to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Or going on a Circle Line Sightseeing Cruise, and touring the World Trade Center 9/11 Memorial & Museum or the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum. As you can see there is a lot to cover!

Greenwich Village

One of my favorite spots and this area was made more prominent by being the location of the hit show 'Friends'. The casts’ apartment block is found on 90 Bedford Street at the corner of Grove.

These tree-lined streets have a relaxed vibe with cafes, bars and pretty brownstone houses. In the center is Washington Square Park. This is a great place to pass a couple of hours, listening to musicians performing and people mingling in the sunshine. From here you can also see Fifth Avenue which stretches from the to West 143rd Street in Harlem.

Hotels are reasonably priced in this area, despite it going through a gentrification, however, you could just come here for a few hours and stay elsewhere.

The West Village is the western part of this area and is a prominent LGBTQ neighborhood. This is a very welcoming place to visit or stay with sidewalk cafes and cobbled streets.

Upper East Side

If budget is not an issue the Upper East Side is an ideal location with fancy restaurants and designer shops. This is a wealthy area to live and the hotel prices reflect this. The Franklin, The Carlyle or The Lowell are all lovely hotels. You are close to Central Park, and Madison Avenue. Mainly people come here for the shopping and famous museums, including the Met.

Not to be confused with the East Village, (which is much more a location for foodie and nightlife interests. This has become an 'up and coming' area and is popular with young professionals).

For the Upper East Side; depending on the time of year this is more of a high end price range. Should that not work for you try the Lower East Side, prices are considerably lower and might suit first timers better.

Upper West Side

I loved staying in this area and felt like I was walking through a movie set most of the time. The streets are familiar as the brownstone buildings and cafes are the types we see in films. There is a village feel, you are close to Central Park, the Hudson River, Columbia University and LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts where the film Fame was set.

To stay the night you will find plenty of good quality hotels, however this is more of a residential neighborhood to pop in and out of rather than a base for a trip. My suggestion would be to stay in our next district below...

Manhattan

This is considered the heart of New York and is where you will probably spend a lot of your time. Here you can visit the Rockefeller Center and access Brooklyn Bridge. The pedestrian entrance to the bridge is across the street from City Hall Park, along Centre Street.

Those with an interest can also visit Wall street in Lower Manhattan. This is still the financial district and home to the New York Stock Exchange.

Somewhere I always went was Chelsea Market. This is a little less known by tourists. They have more independent shops, lovely food from fruit to seafood, cheese mongers and great coffee shops.

Staying in midtown Manhattan is a convenient location for most activities you will want to see during your trip. All the reliable chains have hotels here such as the Hilton, Marriott, Sheraton and The Gregorian which has rave reviews.

Tribeca & SoHo

Tribeca is definitely a place to come back to when you're feeling a bit flush with cash! It's an expensive neighborhood but great for fantastic beauty treatments, special occasions and exceptionally lovely restaurants. Its residents take up luxury apartments and super cool lofts.

My recommendation though would be to go to nearby SoHo. Very different from Soho in London, this is in my opinion, the perfect place to go shopping in New York. There are a mix of decent chain stores, independent shops, street vendors selling gorgeous wares. Plus plenty of quirky cafes and pop-ups. You will not want to leave!

Hotels are not cheap but you can easily visit for the day with subway station Prince, Canal, Spring Street, Broadway-Lafayette St and Bleecker Street close by. Little Italy is also on the boundary with SoHo should it be on your list.

Extra Tips and Recommendations

Grab a cocktail at Grand Central Station bar. It's beautiful and you can people watch.
Eat Mexican food at Rosa Mexicano at Lincoln Center with its famous wall of diving figurines.
Take the Staten Island Ferry.
Check out the Columbus Circle Globe.
Visit the New York Public Library
See a Broadway Show.
Eat NY style Pizza at Ben's Pizza of SoHo which featured in the film Men in Black II - it's really delicious!

I hope you enjoyed this guide to where to stay and what to do in New York. We believe Midtown is the easiest place to stay to access everything you want to see and covers most budgets. New York is one of the best cities in the world and we wish you an incredible trip!